Construction of Z-scheme heterojunction C3N4/N-CQDs@W18O49 for full-spectrum photocatalytic organic pollutant degradation

To achieve efficient solar-energy conversion, the development of full-spectrum light-driven photocatalysts with valid charge separation performance from UV to NIR wavelengths is a key challenge. Herein, a full-spectrum light-driven g-C3N4/nitrogen doped carbon quantum dots/W18O49 (C3N4/N-CQDs@W18O49) ternary hetero-junction catalyst was fabricated via a solvothermal and hydrothermal method. The prepared ternary hetero-junction was shown to exhibit high photocatalytic activity under full-spectrum light, particularly in the NIR region, for degrading the organic pollutants methyl blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), ciprofloxacin (CIP) and tetracycline (TC). XRD, XPS and TEM analysis demonstrated that the synergistic effects of Z-scheme dual-channel charge transfer pathways and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects contributed to the high pho-tocatalytic activity. Under UV-vis light irradiation, the Z-scheme pathway enhanced photogenerated charge separation, maintaining the redox of photogenerated electrons and holes for the catalytic reaction. The LSPR effect of the nonmetallic plasma W18O49 broadened the catalytic response to the NIR region, thus improving light utilization. The introduced N-CQDs provided an excellent photoelectron transport medium for electron-hole transfer and separation. This study established an efficient strategy for the preparation of full-spectrum-driven photocatalysts for organic pollutant degradation.